It is a very humbling experience receiving messages through social media. Even the occasional phone call, from people wanting to learn more about lure fishing. Often, these messages arrive from people who have been busy researching what tackle they need to purchase. Or, which technique to use & they have become confused and/or overwhelmed prior to even wetting a line.
So, we thought we should put this beginners guide to using soft plastic lures together to provide some answers to the most common questions we get asked. We have followed the (KISS) ‘keep it simple’, principle for this BLOG post. And, hope that it will provide a good starting point for those fishers looking to start their lure fishing journey.
Where Do We Start?
Start by visiting your local tackle store. But, keep in mind that walking into any modern-day tackle store can be an overwhelming experience. Especially for anyone who is looking to take up fishing for the first time. However, armed with some knowledge on what you need & why you need it. Can go a long way to ensuring you are comfortable with the gear you are about to purchase. One of the first things you will be confronted with is row upon row of fishing rods & reels. All in different lengths, sizes, weight ranges & configurations.
Our recommendation is that you concentrate on finding a thread line (spinning) rod & reel combo that sits easily within your budget. There is plenty of time to discuss thread line versus overhead rod & reel combos later. The reality is that a thread line (spinning) reel is easy to use, highly effective & is perhaps the most common type of reel found within Australia.
Considerations
When considering which outfit to purchase, our suggestion is to keep things simple. A rod anywhere between 6ft 2inches to 7ft in length which is rated at 2–5kg is ideal. Matched with a 2500 sized spinning reel & spooled with a good quality 10 to 15lb braid. This will provide you with a well-balanced, allrounder style outfit. With enough power to handle larger species but also subtle enough to land smaller species such as bream, whiting & flathead.
You will also need some leader material. Every fisher has an opinion regarding monofilament vs fluorocarbon. We mostly use fluorocarbon as a leader material, due to its superior abrasion resistance & lack of stretch. Meaning when fishing, we can feel more of what is happening with the lure. Regardless of which you choose, a leader material of 15 to 20lb will suffice.
Soft Plastics & Jig Heads
The next decision, is which soft plastic lure to purchase & which jig head to mount them on. Again, we recommend keeping things as simple as possible. Although you can purchase packets of soft plastic lures already rigged on a jig head. We would suggest purchasing your jig heads separately. Our reason for this suggestion is simple. Getting comfortable with rigging soft plastics on jig heads along with experimenting & becoming familiar with how different jig head weights & styles behave in the water is an important stepping stone to improving your skills in using soft plastic lures.
Which Soft Plastic Lure
The choice of soft plastic lure type & colour is probably more overwhelming than choosing a rod & reel combo. Most modern tackle stores have wall upon wall covered in packets of soft plastic lures in dozens of different shapes, sizes & hundreds if not thousands of different colour combinations.
There are two main style of soft plastic lure which we would recommend starting with. Those being; paddle tails & curl tail grubs.
Paddle Tails
Paddle tail soft plastic lures are extremely effective & simple to use, we suggest starting with these.
As the name suggests they comprise of a main body with a paddle shaped tail. The action of this lure relies heavily on the paddle shaped tail which when swimming through water. Beats up & down, side to side. Producing vibrations, a slight thudding sound & movement in the water which fish seem to find enticing & freely attack.
We suggest looking for a 3 to 4-inch paddle tail lures & choose two colours. One bright & one more natural. We tend to favour a nice deep, blood red colour, especially for targeting flathead.
Curl Tails
Curl tail grubs are another extremely effective soft plastic lure. As the name suggests, they comprise of a small main body with a long-curled tail extending behind. This long-curled tail flutters in the water with little to no movement of the lure required. When sitting on sand, underwater the tail looks suspiciously like a worm or another small tasty morsel just waiting to be devoured.
We recommend purchasing a packet of 2.5 to 3-inch curl tail grubs & again choose two colours. One bright & one natural. We always carry a packet of chartreuse coloured curl tail grubs & find them deadly on a range of species from bream, flathead & even threadfin salmon.
Jig Heads
Next you will need a jig head to rig your soft plastic lure onto. Again, there are numerous styles, weights & hook sizes to choose from. Put simply the heavier the jig head the quicker it sinks. This is where fine tuning your skills using soft plastic lures starts.
You will without doubt read in many fishing articles the need for your lure to be in contact with the bottom. However, many people make the mistake of racing their lure to the bottom with a heavy jig head. When in fact, what you need to achieve is a fine balance between a lure which looks to be naturally falling through the water column. And, which will ultimately reach the bottom without being swept away by the wind & tidal movement.
Weights
We believe the following selection of jig head sizes are a good starting point. They will allow you to add & subtract weight to your lure to achieve this fine balance.
1/8-ounce weight with a size 2 hook
¼-ounce weight with a size 1/0 hook
3/8-ounce weight with a size 2/0 hook
½-ounce weight with a size 3/0 hook
We mostly use a ¼-ounce jig head while in estuaries, creeks & rivers. With a couple of different hook sizes to allow for the size of the species we are chasing. As an example, a bream or whiting has a much smaller mouth than a threadfin salmon so our hook size adjusts accordingly.
Knots
The topic of which knots are stronger & more reliable always seems to generate lively debate amongst fisho’s. Everyone seems to have a favourite knot. Our advice is to find one or two knots which you are comfortable with tying & practice these as much as possible.
We favour a double uni-knot to connect braid to leader & then a simple loop knot to attach the jig head to the leader. Our reasons for using these two knots. Well, they have never failed on us. We like to keep things simple. We never cast with our braid to leader knot inside our rod guides, so have no issues with the size of the double uni-knot. Also, we like how the loop knot allows a lure its full range of movement.
Where to Fish
So, you have laid down some hard-earned cash. Decked yourself out with a new rod & reel combo. Had it spooled up with a good quality braid. Practiced your knot tying & you now have about a rod length of leader material running down to your chosen jig head which has been threaded through your chosen soft plastic lure.
Time to practice patience & perseverance. Regardless of if you are land based fishing or lucky enough to have a boat. There is no point casting lures where the fish are never going to be. This is a sure-fire way of losing confidence & eventually giving up on your soft plastic fishing journey.
Research
Do some homework. Jump onto the local fishing forums & take notes of what other fisho’s are saying, specifically any clues to productive locations. Take note of the background in those social media trophy photos. Scout your local water way on google earth & by either foot or by boat. Take note of what your sounder displays.
Look for likely fish holding structure. Sunken timber or other items. Bridge pillions, deep holes, weed beds or rocks. Also, take note of the banks of rivers & creeks. If an area looks as though it has eroded & the bank has given way. Then it is likely a tree has fallen & is now submerged. Or, at the least all the soil & rocks have sunk & now provide some fish holding structure.
Mark where drains enter the main channels during low tide on your sounder. Especially those which hold small bait fish or prawns. These locations start to form your target list.
Techniques – Keep it Simple
We are only going to mention two retrieval techniques. However, they are both extremely effective. In many ways, they form the basis for many other lure fishing techniques. So, should form a good foundation for progressing your skills while using both hard body & soft plastic lures.
The first retrieve is called the ‘slow roll’. For this retrieve you simply cast out your lure. Let it sink to the bottom & once it is there you start a slow but constant wind to bring your lure back. If you wind too slow you will feel little taps, thanks to the sensitive braid. As the lure bounces along the bottom. If this is the case, you need to increase the speed of your wind slightly until you do not feel these taps. Ideally you want the lure to track between an inch & perhaps a foot from the bottom.
Tips
Using a paddle tail lure for a slow roll is ideal. The slow roll retrieve allows the action of the paddle tail to really do its thing. It will mimic a small bait fish scurrying along the bottom looking for cover.
Predatory fish will on most occasions pursue the lure from behind. Sometimes, over quite a distance & will eventually attack the lure while simultaneously turning to head for cover. You may feel a slight tap, once or twice before the fish eventually commits to the attack. But, you will know when the fish strikes as it will be sudden. You will feel the weight of the fish, head shakes & if your drag is set well, it will probably pull some line from your reel as it attempts to regain its freedom.
Staying calm, maintaining control & line tension is key. Slack line while fighting a fish is the enemy. There is nothing wrong with allowing the fish to take line & swim a little. The drag on your reel is an extension of the shock absorption from your rod & getting familiar with how it works takes time & practice.
Basically, the tighter your drag is set the more resistance a fish will feel. Too much resistance & you can run the risk of breaking your line or literally pulling the hook through the fish’s lips, allowing it to go free.
Single Hop
The second retrieval technique is commonly referred to as the ‘single hop’. We believe this is a great retrieve to use with a curl tail grub lure. It involves casting your lure out & allowing it to sink to the bottom. Then using a simultaneous wind of the reel handle with a lift of the rod tip to force the lure to hop along the bottom.
More precisely; once the lure has sunk to the bottom & while holding your rod horizontal to the water you need to very slowly wind in any slack line. To the point at which you can feel the slightest amount of tension without dragging the lure back towards you. At this point you then lift your rod tip from being horizontal to the water to roughly 60 degrees.
This action lifts the lure from the bottom & depending on how vigorously you lift the rod tip will determine how quickly & how high the lure will hop. We suggest starting with a firm rod lift, but not a yank! Once you have achieved a roughly 60-degree lift. Slowly drop your rod tip until it is again horizontal to the water, to allow the lure to sink to the bottom once again.
Diagram Below
As the lure sinks you will notice the line slacken. This is because the lure is closer to you. This is the trickiest part of this retrieve. As you drop your rod tip back to the horizontal position. You need to slowly wind the reel handle to take up any slack line. But again, do not wind too fast to impede the lure sinking naturally back to the bottom.
On most occasions a fish will strike the lure as it drops back to the bottom. Hence winding in slack line slowly is important. It is very common to not even notice a fish has taken your lure until you go to lift your rod tip again for the next hop. In which case, you will feel weight. The fish will also at this point realise something is not quite right. Big head shakes with a run for freedom will be the next thing you will feel. Along with your heart pumping & hopefully the sound of drag screeching.
To Finish Up
We realise that hidden between each sentence of this BLOG post there are probably many unanswered questions about using soft plastic lures. We are always happy to answer any question you might have. Just drop us a message through our Facebook page or even send us an email through the website.
We do hope though, that we have provided enough information to serve as a starting point for your soft plastic lure fishing journey. Practice, practice & more practice is the key & this will help you to get comfortable with your gear & also to how soft plastic lures work. There is a whole community of fishos out there who for the most part are very willing to help, along with loads of YouTube videos.
Our number one tip though, is to keep it simple!